An important election for the largest public sector labor union in the U.S. cities in California highlights the major issues facing organized labor, including falling membership and high-profile battles over collective bargaining.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing today to consider charging Attorney General Eric Holder with contempt of Congress over the withholding of documents related to "Operation Fast and Furious." Split along party lines, Republican representatives voted to recommend the full House take action.

Continuing to feature outtakes from our profile of economist Paul Krugman, we start Wednesday's post by returning to the First Parish Church in Harvard Square, with Krugman talking to NPR's Tom Ashbrook, host of the daily show On Point, which originates here in Boston. Ashbrook's question (a few weeks ago) was about Fed head Ben Bernanke.

Eighty-five-year-old Hubert McCord is one of only four tribal elders who is fluent in the Mojave language. He is also one of the tribe's last "bird singers." For the past year and a half, he has been working with poet Natalie Diaz to record Mojave stories and songs. Here is a video of McCord singing as he took several of the tribe's teenagers on a trip through the canyons of the Colorado River.

More and more states are repealing and relaxing helmet laws, even as the death toll continues to rise from motorcycle accidents. Judy Woodruff interviews Rick Schmitt, a reporter for Fair Warning.org on the subject.

Paul Solman reports on one African-American family's year-long mission to shop only at black-owned businesses. Part of his Making Sen$e of financial news series, Paul Solman speaks with a family about their "Empowerment Experiment," and looks at some of the challenges African American entrepreneurs face.

President Obama's decision last week to help undocumented youths obtain work visas has rippled through the presidential campaigns. Gwen Ifill and Lisa Lerer of Bloomberg News discuss the political fallout, who the new policy affects and what it means for the Latino vote.

As more and mores states struggle to keep their pension promises, a new Pew study released Tuesday painted a stark picture of just how big the budget hole has become in some states. Jeffrey Brown discusses the pension gap with the Pew Center's Kil Huh and Northwestern University's Joshua Rauh.

There were conflicting reports tonight about the health of critically ill former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. Gwen Ifill talks to Nancy Youssef of McClatchy Newspapers in Cairo, who says the ousted president is in a "critical state."

This week we're profiling one of the more prolific and notorious economists -- Paul Krugman. We couldn't fit everything of interest into one piece, so over the next few days we're rescuing some of his arguments from the cutting room floor. Tuesday features the economist's view on Spain's euro-woes and its housing bubble, and what Krugman thinks Germany should do about it.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Remembering the Complicated Life Story of Rodney King

Rodney King, whose video-taped beating by Los Angeles police in 1991 launched a public dialogue about race relations in the United States, died Sunday at age 47. Jeffrey Brown, Patt Morrison of The Los Angeles Times and Darnell Hunt of the University of California, Los Angeles discuss his complicated life.

Amid a tough economy, economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has probably captured as much attention -- and notoriety -- as anyone else in his field. Part of his Making Sen$e of financial news series, Paul Solman speaks with Krugman whose new book "End This Depression Now" suggests some radical policy-making.

A federal jury in Washington, found professional pitcher Roger Clemens not guilty of perjury charges Monday. Ray Suarez speaks with Michael O'Keeffe of the New York Daily News about the turning points of the 10-week trial and the investigation that spanned more than five years.

After following Mitt Romney's bus tour to Ohio over the weekend, Gwen Ifill asks what's on voters' minds in the all-important battleground state. As polls tighten in the Buckeye State, Romney and President Obama are making their pitches on the economy.

Egypt's ruling generals issued a "constitution declaration" last weekend aimed at putting in place checks on presidential powers after the parliament was dissolved. Judy Woodruff speaks to Nancy Youssef of McClatchy Newspapers in Cairo about the latest developments and the emerging results of the presidential election.

In our first installment of 'Paul Krugman' week, the New York Times columnist discusses European austerity, and makes the point that "no country that has its own currency is experiencing the problems the euro zone now faces. Below, a rebuttal of sorts from Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Friday, June 15, 2012

Tonight on the program, we examine and analyze President Obama's announced plans to shift the administration's immigration policy Friday to allow some undocumented young people to remain in the U.S. Also: Greece elections slated for the weekend, Egypt's presidential runoff, wildfires continue in Colorado and New Mexico, and Mark Shields and Michael Gerson analyze the week's political news.